Sleepless Nights and Chicken Fights
by KDSanders
Summary: In the summer following the trio's fifth year Ron is having a hard time telling Hermione how he really feels, but what started as simple summer fun could change thier friendship forever.


_**(A/N: Sadly I do not own Harry Potter or any of the other characters, I am simply playing around with the wonderful characters J.K. Rowling has given the world)**_

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_**Sleepless Nights and Chicken Fights**_

Ron sat in the floor across from Harry, half-way focusing on the chess game in front of him, but mostly staring at the fire place. This was perhaps the reason that Harry was winning for once.

"Ron…_Ron_!"

Ron jumped, "Huh?"

"It's _your_ move."

"Oh…right." Ron called out a move, without looking at the board.

"Ron, you've just put yourself in check."

Ron looked at the board. "Oh, sorry," he said to his king, now giving him angry gestures.

After a few more mindless moves, Harry's queen had put Ron into checkmate.

"What's going on with you," asked Harry in confusion. It had never been so easy to beat Ron at chess. "You've been distracted all morning."

"Nothing…nothings going on…I just…"

Before Ron had a chance to come up with a good lie, a -pop- in the fireplace stole his attention. Out of the smoke, stepped a frizzy haired girl in a light blue t-shirt and jeans.

"Hermione," came a shriek from the stairs, as Ginny Weasley ran to hug her friend. "I'm _so_ glad you're here! Ron and Harry have been boring me to death. They've done _nothing_ but play chess all morning."

At this, Ron and Harry stood up to face Hermione. She hugged Harry tightly, "How are you feeling, Harry?"

"Better," he said. It hadn't been that long ago that the four of them (Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny) had witnessed the death of Harry's friend and Godfather.

"I'm glad," she worried so about Harry. He'd had such a hard life. Hermione turned to Ron and hugged him.

Nervously, he hugged back. "H-how've you been, Hermione?"

"Bored, I love my parents, but every year I'm at Hogwarts it gets harder and harder to go back to _muggle_ life."

"Well, you've got the rest of the summer to live among Wizards," said Mr. Weasley, who had just apparated into the living room with some of Hermione's belongings.

Ron smiled at the thought of another summer with Hermione, and this time, at his house. Here there were no Order meetings to eavesdrop on or dusty rooms to clean. There were no serious talks about Voldemort or the end of Wizard kind. The Weasleys had decided to allow their children a nice quiet summer at home, a chance to have fun while there was still fun to be had. This summer would be very different than the last.

Much to Ron's disliking, shortly after she arrived, Hermione followed Ginny up to her room. Downtrodden, he asked Harry to come outside and help him practice his keeping.

Hermione laid on Ginny's bed, looking out the window. Ever so often, she could catch a glimpse of Ron or Harry outside.

"It's really been strange around here now that Fred and George moved out," said Ginny, "Ron's excited about moving to a bigger room, but you can tell he misses them."

"How's that," asked Hermione, a little confused. With as much torture as the twins had given him over the years, you'd think Ron would have no problems with their absence.

"Well, he hasn't been sleeping well. I figured it was just because he wasn't used to the big, empty room, but Harry's been here for three days now and I still hear him up at all hours of the night."

"Do you think it could be something else? Maybe it's not the twins being gone that's bothering him."

"I don't know," said Ginny. "I haven't really given it that much thought. What else could it be?"

Hermione shrugged and looked out the window to the goal where Ron was hovering. She'd spent the first few weeks of summer worried about Harry, but, at that moment, all she could think of was finding out what was keeping Ron up at night.

That night, Hermione laid on her cot listening to the sound of Ginny breathing, when she heard a creak from the floor above her. It was soon followed by footsteps, the opening and closing of a door, then more footsteps descending the stairs to the living room below. She was tempted to get up and check to see if it was Ron, but thought better of it. Perhaps she'd ask him about it in the morning.

Ron looked quite tired at breakfast, so Hermione assumed it had been him who was up the night before. _What could be bothering him_, she wondered. What could have him to the point of sleepless nights? He'd once been "attacked" by Sirius Black, but still was able to sleep the next night. She had trouble finding time to ask Ron what was the matter. After breakfast, he and Harry had been instructed to help Mrs. Weasley in the garden, while Ginny and Hermione did some chores inside. To pass the time while cleaning, Ginny cranked up the radio tuned to WWN and the girls danced around the house, dusting and sweeping. As they stood in the living room dusting the mantel and fluffing pillows, a very catchy, upbeat song came on.

"Hey come here," said Ginny, holding out her hand to Hermione, "One of the older girls showed me this at the Yule Ball third year."

Ginny faced Hermione, taking both her hands and started to dance. "It's called the Jitter Bug," she said, as Hermione tried to follow along. Before long, she had it, and the two girls were squealing and giggling. Then the sound of giggles was joined by the sound of deep laughter from the kitchen doorway.

The girls whirled around to see Harry and Ron (dirty from garden work) laughing at them. "Oh, you think its funny do you," said Ginny, grabbing Harry by the hand, "you try it then!"

Before he could protest, Harry found himself struggling to keep up with Ginny. "Try it, Ron," laughed Harry, "it's actually quite fun."

Ron looked at his feet and kicked at the floor. When he looked up again, it was into a pair of soft brown eyes. Hermione stood in front of him, offering her hand, "Come, Ron, it's not hard at all."

He made a funny noise as he took her hand and watched her feet for the steps. It was clear, almost instantly, that Ron was not cut out for this. He moved rather clumsily and couldn't quite get the steps right. After a while, he just stopped trying and started making up moves of his own. Being so much taller than her made it easy for Ron to twirl Hermione, plus he liked the little giggle she made as he did it. Before they knew it, the four of them were laughing and twirling around the living room like they were at some sort of ball. With one more twirl, the song ended and Ron caught Hermione in his strong, freckled arms. For a brief moment, she looked up at him and their eyes met. The laughter had stopped and the smile on Ron's face turned to a deeper expression.

"Uh…That was fun," said Hermione snapping back to reality.

"Yeah," laughed Ron nervously, "fun." As he let go of Hermione, Ron fell silent once more. It seemed the dancing was only a momentary distraction from a deeper problem.

Hermione furrowed her brow. She wanted so badly to ask him what was wrong, but now was neither the time nor place. The rest of the day was spent playing chess and talking (every one but Ron talking, that is) and that night Hermione heard Ron's footsteps again. This time she decided to get up. Putting on her dressing gown, she quietly opened the door and tiptoed downstairs.

Ron paced back and forth in the living room, one hand reaching up to scratch his head. "She's just a girl Weasley, get a hold of yourself. It's just Hermione. Hermione, who's seen you puking up slugs. Hermione, who fights with you on a regular basis. Hermione." There was tenderness in the way he said her name. "Merlin's beard, what's gotten into me? Gah!" He made an angry sound, as if disappointed with himself. "Why can't I just tell her? Why can't I just walk up to her and tell her how I feel? That's it…tomorrow when I see her; I'm just going to say 'Hermione, I…'" He jumped as a creak came from the stairs. "Hermione!"

"Sorry if I startled you."

"Oh no, you didn't…" Ron prayed she hadn't heard him. "What are you doing up?"

"I heard you get up and I thought maybe you could use some company."

"Oh," she _had_ heard him, he was sure of it. "Thanks. I didn't mean to wake you…I just couldn't sleep."

"I know…you did the same thing last night," she said, crossing over to him, "and Ginny says you've been doing it for weeks now. Is there something wrong?"

She hadn't heard…he was saved! With a sigh of relief, Ron plopped down on the sofa. "No…nothings wrong. I've just had a lot on my mind lately that's all." Ron hated lying to Hermione, but what was he supposed to do? Tell her he'd been kept up all these nights because the thought of her made his mind rush to the point where he couldn't sleep?

Hermione could see that something was troubling him, "Ron…you know what ever is on your mind you can tell me."

He wished he could…honestly he did. "It's nothing…just insomnia really."

Hermione let out a sigh of defeat. She obviously wasn't going to get any answers from him. "Well, if you ever need to talk, I'm right here."

"I know," he signed, wishing he had a backbone, "thanks."

Hermione stood and started back up stairs. When she was almost out of sight Ron called her back, "Hermione!"

"Hmmm," she said, turning back to him.

"I was just wondering if you…" _Say it Weasley, say it_! "If you wanted to go swimming tomorrow, it's supposed to be warm."

"Oh…sure."

"Ok…I'll tell Harry in the morning." Ron fell back on to the couch smacking his forehead as he heard Ginny's bedroom door close. "Stupid Weasley! Stupid! That was your chance right there and you missed it." He drew his knees to his chest and rested his crossed arms on them. "I'm hopeless," he said burying his facing in his arms. A million thoughts rushed through his head. He was spending the day with her tomorrow. They were going swimming. Wait! Swimming meant bathing suits. Hermione in a bathing suit. Him and Hermione swimming in bathing suits. Oh, what had he gotten himself into?

The nest morning, Harry and Ginny quickly agreed to the plan to go swimming. By noon, the four of them were in their bathing suits, making their way to the small lake right beside the Burrow. As they reached the pier by the waters edge, they kicked off their shoes and put down their towels. No sooner had Ginny removed her over shirt then Harry grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into the water. In a fury of giggles and screams, they laughed and splashed, calling Ron and Hermione in.

Ron raised an eyebrow as Hermione's over shirt came off. _WOW!_ He thought, _don't stare. God, Weasley, be strong…don't stare_. With a light splash, Hermione was in the water. Ron followed shyly.

"Hey," said Harry, "I've got an idea. Lets fight…I mean, Hermione you get on Ron's shoulders and Ginny can get on mine and we'll wrestle."

Ron blushed at the thought, but was more than happy to agree. Holding his nose, he ducked under the water, allowing Hermione to climb onto his shoulders. She was surprised as how stable he felt underneath her weight. Ron's ears pinked as he placed his hands on Hermione's bare knees and she crossed her ankles behind his back. She wasn't quite eyelevel with Ginny, seeing as how Ron was a good bit taller than Harry. The girl's arms tangled as they tried to force each other to fall. Ron and Harry took small steps in attempts to make the other lose his balance.

"Go for her sides," Ron yelled to Hermione, "She's really ticklish, she'll fall right off."

"Shut up, Ron!" Ginny squealed as Hermione tickled her ribs.

Harry tightened his grip on Ginny's legs, determined not to let her fall, and took a few steps forcing Ron to step back toward the pier. Ron tried to stand firm, but felt his foot hit a rock and Hermione started wobbling on his shoulders. He couldn't hold it any longer, they were going to fall.

_-Splash-_

Ron came up coughing, not having had time to hold his breath before the fall. He started laughing, but stopped when he saw the looks of horror on the faces of Harry and Ginny.

He whirled around looking for Hermione, but didn't see her. Without another thought, he dove into the water, coming up seconds later, holding a limp Hermione in his arms. With a little help from the others, he got her up onto the pier. She'd only been under for a few seconds, but already her lips were blue and a puddle of blood was forming under her head.

"Oh my God," cried Ginny, "Hermione, wake up! Ron, why isn't she waking up?"

"I don't know," said Ron, with a crack in his voice. "Run up to the house and get Mum, hurry!"

With a flash of dripping red hair, Ginny was en route to the house. Harry and Ron kneeled beside Hermione. "She's not breathing!" Ron leaned down pinching Hermione's nose and blowing into her mouth. Her cheeks puffed a bit, but nothing happened. He tried again. Still nothing. Then, a third time. Hermione's chest rose and she broke into a fit of coughing, sputtering water out of her mouth. Her eyes fluttered a bit and then closed.

With a -crack-, Mrs. Weasley was standing on the pier.

"Oh, good heavens, is she okay!? Step back, Ron, let me have a look at her."

Ron moved, knowing his mother could do more for Hermione than he could.

"Hermione, dear, open your eyes. Look at me, Hermione."

Hermione made a little moan.

"We need to get her up to the house. Can either of you carry her?"

"I can," said Ron.

"Okay, just be careful," Ron put one arm under Hermione's legs and the other behind her back. "Mind her head."

He carried her as quickly as he could, without risk of hurting her more. When they reached the house, he laid her on the sofa and let his mother take charge again.

"Ron, go get me my wand from in the kitchen. Ginny, you make an ice pack."

With a few quick healing spells, the back of Hermione's head stopped bleeding. She stirred and opened her eyes. "Wha-what happened?"

"You fell, Dear," said Mrs. Weasley softly, "took a pretty bad bump on the head. Good thing Ron was there to give CPR."

Her eyes found Ron, who was blushing.

"Ron _what_?"

"He saved you, dear. I knew teaching him first aid would come in handy sometime. I'm just surprise he's never had to use it sooner." Hermione struggled to sit up, holding the back of her head. "You should really rest, dear. I'll go start lunch."

"We'll help," said Harry and Ginny, in unison. The entire room could feel that Ron and Hermione needed to be alone.

Ron sat down on the floor beside her on the sofa. It was almost too much for him to look at Hermione. The color was returning to her lips, but a hint of purple still remained. He'd almost lost her. Sure, they'd been in bad situations before, but this was different. This was almost his fault. He was usually right there beside her in the face of danger, but this time all he could do was stand back and watch. It was so sudden, too; they were playing one minute, and the next she was under the water. She nearly died. He could have lost her without her ever know that he…"Are you okay?"

She turned her head slowly to look at him, "My head hurts."

"I suppose it could be worse."

Hermione laughed a little…"You saved my life."

Ron shifted in his seat, "It's nothing. You've saved my life loads of times."

Hermione laughed, it was only half-way true.

"Hermione, I have to tell you something." Ron had to say it now. "Earlier, when you fell, I thought I'd lost you. I couldn't help but think that I let you go with out knowing…" Ron choked on his words.

"Without knowing what?"

"Knowing how I feel about you. When I saw you, the whole time, I just keep telling myself that if you pulled through this, I'd tell you…I'd tell you…I…..I love you." He felt like he was going to faint the second the words left his mouth. He looked at Hermione, searching her eyes for an answer, some clue that would tell him if she felt the same way.

Her answer came in the form of a kiss. Ron was taken aback. Hermione had kissed him before, once last year, but that was on the cheek. Ron closed his eyes, falling into Hermione's kiss. "I love you, too," she said opening her eyes.

Ron's heart leapt. All that agony, all that worry was gone. She'd said it back. He kissed her again, running his hand down her bare shoulder. She was so soft, and, to think, he could have been touching her all this time.

"You really…love…me," he asked rather sheepishly.

"Of course, I love you…I always have."

"But, what about all the fighting, and…Viktor?"

"I said I always loved you Ron…I just couldn't stand you at times." Leave it to Hermione to get smart at a time like this. "Besides, I wasn't sure if you loved me."

"I've loved you for as long as I can remember, it just took me a while to realize that's what it was."

Hermione laughed taking his hand and playing with his long boney fingers "I should have told you sooner," he sighed. "All those sleepless nights for nothing."

"Sleepless nights," she said shooting him an awkward glance, "you mean that's what's been keeping you up at night?"

"Yeah…I wanted to tell you last night, but I couldn't think of what I would do if you said no and then we had to spend the rest of the summer together."

"What would make you think I'd say no?"

"Well first there's the all the fighting…and then there's the fact that you're….pretty and smart and I'm…."

"You're handsome and sweet and the kindest person I know."

Ron blushed then kissed her. This time he was a little braver and let his lips part. He was thrilled to feel Hermione mirror the act and his stomach did somersaults as he allowed his tongue to venture past her lips. A gasp from the kitchen door made both of them jump.

There stood Ginny with her hands to her mouth in shock. "Uh…um…lunch is ready," she said hurrying off, face as red as her hair.

Hermione giggled, burying her face into Ron's shoulder. "I'll never hear the end of it," she laughed.

"Just think," said Ron, "it could have been Harry."

"Or… your Mum." Ron and made face then the two burst into laughter, and then made their way to the kitchen.

The rest of the day was filled with knowing looks and playful giggles as Ron and Hermione found every excuse to be near each other. That night just before bed, Hermione went up to the third floor and knocked. Harry answered, already in his pajamas. Laughing, he turned to Ron, "It's for you."

Ron stepped outside and closed the door behind him.

"So, I guess he knows."

"Yeah," said Ron, "I guess we couldn't keep it hidden from him for very long."

"Well, it doesn't really have to be hidden at all."

"So you don't mind if people know?"

"Nope."

"Does that mean I can hug you and kiss you in public," asked excitedly.

Hermione blushed a little and nodded. "Anyway," she said, "I just came to say goodnight."

"Goodnight," he said wrapping his arms around her and lifting her up a little to kiss her. She lingered there in his arms after the kiss had ended. Eyes closed, she nuzzled his nose with hers.

"I love you, Ron."

Ron sighed, "I love you, too." He watched her as she walked down the stairs to Ginny's room, willing himself not to call her back for one more kiss. Finally, he opened the door to his own room and fell back onto his bed.

"Goodnight kiss," laughed Harry.

"Shut up!"

Harry laughed and dodged a pillow that had been launched at him like a bludger, "Okay…okay…I won't say anything. Goodnight…Hot-lips."

As Harry sniggered himself to sleep, Ron laid, staring at the ceiling, replaying the events of the day. It had begun with him nearly losing Hermione and had ended with a goodnight kiss. Rolling over, he hugged his pillow, wishing it was her. When he closed his eyes, all he could see was her face. He drifted of into dreams filled with Hermione kisses and other things that might come later. He didn't stir or feel the need to pace the leaving room floor; he would finally get some sleep tonight.

**_The End...Please read and review._**


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